


The Bottom of a Bottle

by The_lion_inside



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-18
Updated: 2018-12-18
Packaged: 2019-09-22 12:27:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17059766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_lion_inside/pseuds/The_lion_inside
Summary: What happens when Emma decides to drink away her problems? Or when Regina decides to confront her about it? It all comes to a head when she finds Emma in a bar late one night.





	The Bottom of a Bottle

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first time I've written in a long time. Bear with me. Rated M for coming chapters

As the blare of her alarm clock rang through the silence of her small apartment, Emma groaned, pulling a the duvet securely over her head. The dull roar just seemed to keep coming through the soft down, and she reached out blindly for her phone. She swore to herself as she felt her fingertips brush cool glass just a split second before she heard the bottle hit the floor, only dulled only by the soft carpet. The smell of bitter alcohol filled her nostils as she glanced down at the nearly empty bottle of vodka that now lay seaping into the carpet. An even louder groan echoes through her apartment as she swung her legs over the edge of her bed. This was becoming a regular occurance for her. At least 3 times this week she had woken to a pounding head and the tell-tell signs of another hangover. She glanced back at the screen of her phone. She still had 45 minutes until she needed to head to the station. She decided on a quick shower and hoped it would help clear her head.

20 minutes later, she was racing through her apartement wrapped in a towl with her toothbrush hanging haphazardly from her mouth. She couldn't quite remember where she had thrown her uniform when she finally managed to make it home last night. Finding it drapped over the back of the couch, she smoothed out the wrinkles as best as she could as she hurried back to the bathroom to finish getting ready. She silently prayed that today would be a slow day, but knew that it was very doubtful. Even in a small town like Storybrook, Friday nights were still her busiest. She shot a text to David as she stuck her keys in her pocket and rushed out the door with only a few minutes to spare. She checked her phone again as she climbed into her yellow bug, happy to see that David had confirmed that he was indeed alreay at the station and would hold things down until she was able to get there. She grinned to herself and started up the car, deciding to stop and grab breakfast at Granny's before making her way to the station.

She walked into the station and dropped the bag of bearclaws on her desk, handing a cup of coffee to her father. It still felt strange to her to think of him as more than just David, even after all this time. Something inside of her was still terified that she would wake up from this dream and be all alone in the world again. Her thoughts were interupted when he cleared his throat again, snatching her attention back from her own thought.

"Um...what was that?"  
"I asked if you were okay. You seem a little under the weather..." He was watching her pensively from behind his desk with a knowing look on his face. Even though he did not say it, she knew that he could tell that she was reeling from another night spent in a bottle. Luckily, he knew better that to try and pry the information from her. He typically left that up to Mary Margret. She whispered another silent thank you that she did not have to see her mother today. Running her hand absentmindedly through her hair, she shrugged.

"I think it might be a bug. I'll be okay. What's on the agenda for today?" She tried to defuse the situation quickly and was glad when David smiled back softly and began shuffling through the paperwork on his desk. After a few seconds, he scooped up the piece that it seemed he was looking for and walked over to her desk, dropping it on her desk. She glanced over it quickly and then grumbled.

"You've got to be kidding me?" She shook her head.  
"Please tell me that I really don't have to do this." David smiled and shrugged.  
"She specifically requested you. I can't get you out of this one kid." He walked back over to his desk and Emma rolled her eyes. Why was the mayor requesting a meeting on a Friday? She checked the time on the memo sitting almost menacingly on her deck and then glance at the clock. She still had a few hours until she would have to be in the mayor's office, so she relaxed a little back into her chair. Today was going to be a long day.

..........

She rushed towards the mayor's office, kicking herself for taking a long lunch. She had been buried in paperwork for most of the morning and had stopped in at Granny's diner before heading over and may have gotten a little carried away gossiping with Ruby. A quick glance at the dashboard clock as she threw the cruiser into park told her that she was already 10 minutes late to the meeting. She knew that Regina did not tolerate lateness. She rushed up the pathway and through the front door. She completely ignored Regina's secretary who was insisting that she wait until she could be announced to enter the office, pushing the door open and bracing herself for the worst. Regina looked up from behind her desk, but otherwise did not even acknowledge Emma standing just inside the doorway awkwardly. After a few minutes, Regina motioned for her to shut the door and then went back to her paperwork. Emma decided to take a seat in a chair in front of the mayor's desk and wait. After an eternity, Regina finally turned her attention to Emma with a poisonous smile slipping onto her face.

"So I see that the Sheriff has finally taken the time to grace me with her presence." Regina let her words hang in the air for a minute, watching Emma squirm.  
"Look Regina, just tell me what this is about. Your memo was super vague other than a time and a request that it specifically be me who attended this meeting." She knew that she probably was overstepping with the mayor, but her head was already killing her and she wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.  
Regina's eyes grew dark and Emma could have sworn she saw something dark moving behind them, but then it was gone and a smile was plastered across her face again.  
"I simply wanted to talk to you about this weekend. As you know, this weekend is the town's annual fall carnival and..." Regina paused. She seemed to be thinking something over, but then finished with "I was just hoping to get confirmation that you will be able to properly police the event. Last year some rotten children desided to egg my house."  
Emma stifled a laugh, knowing that it may not have neccisarily been children. There was not a shortage of people in this town that despised Regina. She definately had when she first arrived in Storybrook, but the women had slowing developed a tolerance for one another. She let a soft sigh slip from her lips before wearily answering the mayor.  
"Yes ma'am, we will have plenty of patrol." She waited patiently for a responce, but her answer seemed to have satisfied Regina for now. She just nodded and turned back to her paperwork. Emma waited a few more seconds before standing and making her way towards the door. As she reached for the handle, she heard her name coming softly from behind her. She turned slowly to see the mayor standing up from her desk. She had a worried look on her face as she slowing made her way towards Emma. Once she had shortened the distance between them to a matter of just a few feet she stopped, looking around the room and pointed towards the couch.

"Sit with me for a sec?"  
Emma was not sure what had caused the Evil Queen to suddenly seem to soften, but she hesitantly followed her to the couch, taking a seat at the opposite end from where she was now perched. She watched as Regina fumbled with her own fingers in silence for a few minutes before she finally looked Emma in the eye and spoke.

"Emma, I know that we have never been friends, but as Henry's other mother, I feel like I need to say something. For weeks you have seemed off and it has been apparent to everyone in town that you have been visiting the bar more and more frequently. And if your appearance today is any indication, you have been continuing your bing at home as well."

Emma glanced down, noticing several wrinkles still creasing her uniform. Without thinking, she began to try and smooth them out as she looked up again at Regina. Before she could respond however, Regina continued.

"You may think that you have a handle on this, but I don't think you do. You could get hurt or hurt someone else. If you need to talk to someone about this..." She left the words hanging in the air, gauging Emma responce. When the blonde just stared at the floor seeming to be entrolled by a spot on the side of her shoe, Regina decied to change tactics.

"Ms. Swan is this really the kind of example you want to be setting for Henry."

This definately got a responce from Emma, but not the one that she was looking for. A fire seemed to ignite behind her eyes and she was immediately on her feet.

"How dare you Regina!? How dare you bring Henry into this and how dare you try to pry into my personal life! What I do in my free time is no ones business but my own!" At this she stormed out of the mayor's office, leaving Regina sitting at a loss for words on the couch.

Emma's mood did not improve for the rest of the day and she sighed with relief when she glanced at the clock for what seemed like the 100th time in the last hour and realized that it was finally time to go home. She hugged David goodbye, promising to come over for dinner the next night after the kick off of the carnival to catch up with her parents. As she pulled on her coat, and stalked out of the station to her bug, Regina's words still played over in her head. The nerve of that woman. How could she think that it was okay to try and dictate what Emma did. She was an adult and had been taken care of herself for alot longer than she cared to think about.

She thought more than once on her drive home about turning and heading to the bar on the outskirts of town, but decided against it. A small twing of guilt plauged her over the conversation with Regina and she knew that she should probably at least give her body a little rest. The next day was going to be rough, even without fighting a hangover. She quickly changed into her pjs once she arrived home and plopped down on the couch. After some time flipping through the channels trying to find a movie, she finally settled on some indie rom-com and settled back on the couch. She wished that it was not Regina's weekend to keep Henry. She really did miss him terribly and decided that she would make sure that she made time to have some fun with him at the carnival tomorrow. She was only half paying attention to the TV when she heard her phone ding. When she picked it up, she was suprised to see that it was a message from Regina.

I'm sorry

Emma did not reply and was slightly less shocked when her phone dinged again.

I know that this is not something that you want to talk about, but you really do need to talk to someone about this. Maybe Archy could help.

Emma turned off the volume on her phone and tossed it to the other end of the couch. If she was going to stay sober, she definately did not need this. Once the end credits finally started rolling for the movie, Emma scooped it back up, not even bothering to look at the screen. She plugged it into the charger by her bed and made sure that she had an alarm set before crawling into bed. She was going to need her rest.

..........

Emma awoke to the sun slipping in between her bed, leaving small slivers of light patterned across her bed. According the her phone, she still had another hour before she had to be awake. She rolled over in the hopes of getting a little more sleep, but she knew that it would not come. She climbed out of bed and wrapped herself in the robe that she had tossed across a chair in the corner of the room. She made her way to the kitchen, deciding that she needed a cup of coffee to help work the rest of the sleep out of her system. 2 cups of coffee and a cool shower later, she was ready to face the day. Well, as ready as she was going to be. With it being a Saturday, she knew that she did not have to be into the station, but she still needed to get downtown and check to make sure that everything was going smoothly in preperation for the coming night. She hopped into her car, figuring that it was not neccisary to stop by the station for the cruiser. She drove slowly through town, watching people scurry about, trying to make sure that everything was ready in time. A small smile spread across her face. Things may have not always been easy since she arrive in town, but she had grown to love its people. Even the prying mayor, her brain provided. Emma shook her head at this thought, not willing to let go of the anger from their last conversation. She sped up a little, making a beeline to the heart of town. She parked the bug and slid out. Might as well get this day started.

It seemed like everyone in town showed up to the carnival. Emma had been patroling for a few hours and everything seemed to be going smoothly. She had managed to catch up with Henry, putting her anger at Regina aside long enough to wander through the booths with the two of them and ingest lots of sugary treats before having to start patrolling again. The night was coming to an end when she met back up with David.

"You know, everything has been pretty quiet tonight. I would say that it is probably safe for you to call it a night." He drapped an arm around her shoulder in a warm hug just as Mary Margret appeared behind her and pulled her into a huge hug as soon as David let go of her. They stood chatting for a few minutes before her mother's face seemed to shift to a slightly concerned look.

"Emma, sweety, has eveything been okay with you. You seem to have been under the weather lately and Leroy mentioned that he has seen you at the bar a little more often than one would expect of our town sheriff." She locked eyes with Emma and tried to silently convey all her love and concern. Emma k new her mother loved her and was just looking out for her, but could not help but feel the anger that she had previously directed at Regina come bubbling up again.

"Why does everyone seem to think that what I do in my free time is their business! I am a grow woman and can make my own decisions. Everyone in this town needs to keep their noses out of my life. I don't need you or Regina trying to micromanage me." With that, she turned on her heals and stormed away, to quick to see the look of hurt on her mother's face. All thoughts of the family dinner that she had promised to attend had left her mind and there was only one place that she wanted to be right at that moment.

..........  
As Emma slipped through the bar door a short while later, she couldn't help but notice that it was unusually quiet for a Saturday night. She surmised that everyone must still be at the carnival or already home in bed. The bartender noticed her sliding up to the bar and did not even have to ask what she wanted. As he sat a cold beer down in front of her, she took it with a small smile. As he turned to walk away, she motioned him back and ordered a shot of whiskey to go with the beer. Although he looked her up and down, he poured the shot without saying anything and made his way back down the bar. Emma knew that this would not be her only shot tonight and had no intention of pacing herself. She was determined to wash away the anger and guilt that had been plauging her for the last 48 hrs. She downed the shot and chased it with a long swallow of the cold beer before reaching into her pocket for her phone. She unlocked it, noticing that she had several messages from Regina.

You can't keep ignoring me forever.

I really hope that you aren't out drinking.

Mary Margret told me what happened.

Will you please just let me know you're okay? I'm starting to worry.

Emma rolled her eyes and set her phone face down on the bar. She had no intention of answering the brunette back, but her words still seemed to be gnawing a hole right through the blonde's stomach. She motioned the bartender over and ordered another shot.

"Make it a double." Again, the bartender knew better than to argue with the sheriff and poured the dark alcohol into the glass sitting in front of Emma. She down this one too without hesitation. She felt the warmth burn through her body and she closed her eyes, wishing that she could just hide from the world.

An hour later, Emma was several more shots in and having a hard time staying on her barstool. She knew she should call it a night, but could not face going back to her empty apartment just yet. She sloshed the remaing dregs of her beer around in the bottom of the bottle before downing it and slipping off the barstool. Her legs seemed to turn to jelly beneath her instantly and she was more than a little surprised when she felt a hand on her upper arm, helping to support her body weight and steady her.

"Thought that I would find you here." Emma immediately knew that voice and looked up into the dark pools of Regina's eyes. It took a second for her brain to comprehend that she was now standing leaned into the brunette, but when she did, she jerked back as if she had been shocked.

"Just leave me alone Regina. I don't need you or anyone else." As she said this, she stumbled back and caught herself on the bar.

"Clearly that's not the case." Regina snapped back before catching herself. She had not come here to fight and she genuinely was concerned for the blonde. "At least let me take you back home."

Emma waved her off and headed towards the door. She was not sure where she would go, but she knew that she did not want to be here and she did not want to go home. As she got closer to her car, she heard the echo of Regina's heels behind her. Seeing the all to familiar Mercedes parked behind her bug, she cut a hard right back onto the sidewalk and started moving as quickly as her feet would carry her down the deserted street. The click of heels behind her only seemed to be getting louder and Emma realized that Regina must be catching up with her. She whipped around, fully intent on telling her off. But instead, she was caught off guard by an overwhelming feeling of nausea and her vision started to swim. Even though she would not admit it, she was slightly thankful for the hand that once again caught her arm, steadying her. She no longer had the entergy to jerk away from the firm tough.

"Emma, you know as well as I do that no one needs to see the town sheriff drunk stumbling down the sidewalk. Just come back to my car and I will give you a ride home." Regina spoke softly, not wanting to spook the blonde again. Emma stared at her for a brief moment before finally shrugging her hand off her arm.

"I don't want to go back to that sad, empty apartment and spend another night alone" she said, slightly louder than she had intended to. She looked down quickly at her feet, afraid of the wrath that she was more than likely about to be hit with. Instead all she recieved was silence for a few agonizing second before she heard Regina take a deep breath and reply.

"Then come home with me."

Emma wasn't sure she heard the mayor correctly and looked up into the dancing chocolate pools that seemed to be staring a hole into her. Regina seemed to realize the words that had just come out of her mouth and continued.

"If you don't want to go home, then come to the house. Luckily, Henry is spending the night at a friend's house so he will not see you in this state. I will keep you company if you would like and you can sleep this off in the guest bedroom." Emma seemed to think about the offer for a minute, trying to get her alcohol drenched brain to come up with a list of what Regina's alterior motives may be to make such a kind offer. When this just made her head swim more, she reluctantly nodded. Regina, seeming satisfied with this answer, reached out and brushed her fingers down the soft leather of Emma's leather jacket sleeve and motioned back towards the car before dropping her hand. Emma tried not to think of the shiver that ran through her body at this simple touch. Without another word, they both moved slowly back down the sidewalk and into the sleek black car.

..........

The ride back to the mayor's house seemed to take longer than either one of them had imagined, neither woman offering a word until the car was safely in park. Regina glanced at Emma out of the corner of her eye and hesitantly asked if she would like some help inside. Emma mumbled a slightly slurred "no thank you" and pushed her way out of the car. She waited patiently as Regina rounded the car and headed up the walkway, only glancing back once to make sure that Emma was still following. They both paused at the door while Regina juggled the key into the lock and quickly walked through. She pause again once Emma was safely inside the entryway. Emma slowly pushed the door open and turned back to Regina. As she did, she noticed that Regina had slipped off her coat and stood watching Emma. For the first time since Regina showed up at the bar, Emma got a good look at her. She stood before her in an old baggie tshirt and a pair of rather warm looking pajama pants. Emma tried to supress a smile. This was definately not what she pictured Regina sleeping in. Wait, why was she thinking about what Regina sleeps in? She shook her head. Regina seemed to notice the shift in Emma's mood and took a step closer.

"Are you okay? Can I get you anything?" Regina extended her hand out to Emma, but quickly dropped it just shy of her arm when Emma flinched away. Emma couldn't help but notice Regina's face falling a little and quickly answered her.

"Um, could you get me a glass of water?" She recieved a forced smile from Regina, who nodded and pointed her towards the living room and told her to make herself at home. She eased herself onto the couch and slowly began to sink back into the cushions. She had never felt such a comfortable couch. She sat propped up against the arm of the couch for several minutes before she finally heard the soft footsteps of Regina returning. As she rounded the end of the couch, she held out a small stack of neatly folded clothes.

"I thought that you might want to change into something a little more comfortable if you are going to be staying over. I hope these are okay. You can use the guest bathroom to change if you would like." Emma took the clothes from Regina and rose slowly off the couch. She knew her way to the guest bathroom and quickly changed. She was glad to get out of her skinny jeans and into something comfortable. As she slipped the tshirt over her head, she could smell the warm scent of apples that seemed to cling to the fabric. That smell always reminded her of Regina and she caught a glimpse of the smile that was slowly spreading across her face in the bathroom mirror. Took a quick breath and walked back to the livingroom. Regina had settled onto the end of the couch opposite the end that Emma had vacated a few minutes prior. Emma sat down on the edge of the cushion that she was previously on and took a long sip of her water. Regina didn't say anything, but instead just sat and watched Emma slowly drink her water. She knew that, if she just gave her time, Emma would open up to her. The silence stood for the few minutes while Emma finished her water and sat the glass down resolutely on the coffee table in front of her.

"Thank you Regina." Emma's voice was barely above a whisper. Regina could hear a faint wavering as she spoke, but was not sure if it was emotion or the alcohol. Maybe it was both. She hesitantly reached out to Emma again, pausing with barely an inch of space between the tips of her fingers and Emma's forearm. When Emma did not give any indication of pulling away, Regina let her fingers rest gently there. When Emma still did not move away, she scooted closer to Emma and slid her arm around Emma's shoulders. This was the closest she had ever let herself get to Emma and she felt her heartbeat begin to speed up. As if sensing this, the blonde turned shining green eyes towards her. Regina was lost for a minute in the amount of hurt that she could see in those eyes and she felt her features soften.

"Emma, you don't have to thank me. I just wanted to make sure that you were okay. I know that we have definately had our share of issues, but I've grown quite fond of you. And I won't let you do something to risk our son losing one of his mothers. I just wish you would talk to me about what is going on." As Regina said the last part, she leaned down pressing her cheek to the side of the other woman's head. She could smell the sweet smell of Emma's shampoo and she allowed herself a moment to breathe it in. She could feel Emma seem to settle in beside her, and she closed her eyes, enjoying the silence and the closeness to Emma. She was so lost in the feeling of holding the blonde beside her that she almost jumped when Emma finally spoke, her voice cracking.

"I'm so tired of being alone."

Regina felt her whole body go rigid and she knew Emma felt it too. She felt her heart breaking for Emma and was at a loss for words. After a few agonizing moments, she finally spoke.

"Emma, you're not alone. You have Henry, you have your parents, you have Ruby...this whole town loves you..." she felt herself starting to panic. How could Emma say she was alone!? Didn't she know how Regina felt about her? How did she feel about her? As these thoughts played rapidly through her mind, she barely registered that Emma had sat up beside her. When she finally looked up, she saw a concerned look on her face.

"What are you thinking?" Emma asked nervously, as she turned to face her fully.

Regina reached out and wrapped her fingers around Emma's, drawing small circles on the back of her hand. She took a deep breath and looked at Emma reasurringly. With a small squeeze to Emma's hand, she tried to answer.

"Emma, I've already told you that I care about you. I don't want to see anything bad happen to you." She reached up and gently tucked a stray hair behind Emma's ear. Emma tried to force a smile, but shook her head.

"You don't understand. I know I have alot of people who love me and just want the best for me. But I still go home to an empty apartment almost every night. I still sleep in a cold bed alone every night." She was on the edge of tears, and pulled her hand away from Regina to cover her eyes and bury her face in her hands.

She sat like that for a few seconds before she felt Regina gently pulling her hands down before wrapping her in a tight hug. She laid her head on Regina's shoulder, burying her face in her neck. She took a deep breath and felt the tears start to fall. Once they had started, it was impossible to stop. Regina held her while she silently sobbed into her shoulder. She couldn't help but turn her head slightly, smelling the warm scent of cinnamon that seemed to cling to her skin. For a brief moment, she was tempted to lower her mouth and see if the skin tasted as good as it smelled. She stopped herself just short of connecting her lips with Emma's pale skin and instead turned towards her ear, drawing on all her courage to whisper softly to Emma.

"You don't have to sleep alone." The words startled even her, but there was no taking it back. She waited for Emma to pull away, but she instead felt her body start to settle in against hers. She had a brief moment of panic. But then she felt Emma's breath grow warmer on her neck and she realized the other woman's lips were dangerously close to her neck. As if asking for permission, Emma placed a small kiss against her rapidly increasing pulse. Regina unconciously turned her head, exposing more of her neck. Grazing her lips upward, she placed another kiss just below her ear. A shiver ran through the brunette and she felt herself start to melt. Emma wrapped her hands gently around Regina's hips and pulled her closer. She heard the other woman softly moan against her neck and she smiled to herself.

She continued moving down the warm skin until she had reached the collar of Regina's shirt. She stopped suddenly and looked up into Regina's eyes. She again saw flashes of something dark behind her eyes, but this time, Emma knew what that was. Lust. She held her breath as she started up into those dark eyes and then, before she could chicken out, she pressed her lips firmly to Regina's. Immediately, she was lost in the softness and electricity of the kiss. When she felt Regina's tongue brush her bottom lip requesting entrance, she immediatly responded, allowing her tongue to slip in between her teeth and begin a heated battle for dominance.

Neither woman gave in until they had to stop for breath. Emma smiled softly as she rested her forehead against Regina's.

"Regina, I have waited so long to do that and I would really like to..." She was cut off by a short kiss from the brunette, who just shook her head.

"Not tonight. Tonight I just want this. I just want to hold you and make sure that you feel loved. I want to make sure that I am the person that you wake up to in the morning. I want to make sure that you never feel lonely again. But now, its time for bed." She looped her fingers into Emma's and pulled her up with her off the couch. She led her into the dim light of the bedroom and pulled back the blankets.

"Get in." Emma obeyed without a word and snuggled down in between the blankets on her side. A few moments later, she felt Regina settle in beside her and scoot closer. She reached out and wrapped an arm around her. She felt the soft tickles of dark brown hair against her nose as Regina pressed her body back into her. This was exactly what she needed. She drifted off to sleep rather quickly, listening to Regina's breathing and wondering where they go from here.


End file.
